Most organic pharmaceutical chemical syntheses are done in organic solvents. Oxygen and/or water contaminants in organic solvents will destroy many organic reactants and organometallic reagents and catalysts. As such, the removal of oxygen and water are critical to successful organic synthesis. Unfortunately both oxygen and water are ubiquitous and significant effort must be introduced to both remove oxygen and water and continue to keep them out of the system. Nearly every organic synthesis laboratory in the United States has a system for the removal of oxygen and water from solvents. Laboratories have several special concerns with respect to the purification of solvents. The three major concerns associated with oxygen and water removal from solvents are safety, cost and space considerations. Traditionally, organic solvents have been purified by distillation from reactive metals. This Phase I project will develop a membrane product and process to remove dissolved oxygen and water from reaction solvents and reactants. This concern for oxygen and water is especially true in laboratory synthesis. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. proposes a novel membrane product and process to address these issues. This membrane will be a composite structure using a novel porous support and novel dense membrane. The process will both remove the oxygen and water and maintain their removal. The membrane system is in principle universal and very low cost. The removal of oxygen and water from representative solvents will be demonstrated. Once the removal of contaminants is completed, enhanced synthesis related to removal of water and oxygen will be demonstrated working with the University of Delaware. Compact Membrane Systems has numerous industrial and university partners which have shown a strong interest in this technology. These partners will be helpful in the Phase I program and subsequent Phase II activity and commercialization. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will develop a membrane product and process to remove dissolved oxygen and water from reaction solvents and reactants. The process will both remove the oxygen and water and maintain their removal. The membrane system is in principle universal and very low cost. This development will represent an application of CMS membrane technology that has considerable significance to production costs related to pharmaceutical manufacturing.